this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2023
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The problem is the lack of diversity. Google controls Chromium and almost all browsers are Chromium based so Google controlls the supported web features of almost all browsers, giving them the power to decide which web features are supported on the internet and which aren't. They use this for example to push their own file formats for the web instead of better alternatlives. Remember when everyone was mad that ublock origin wouldn't work on Chromium browsers anymore? Same thing. They get money from ads so they make it harder to block them. Google shouldn't have that much power over the web.
No, Google no controls Chromium, despite Chromium as is use a lot or Google APIs. But Chromium is FOSS and because of this a lot of Chromiums are "degoogled" or parcial "degoogled" leaving some APIs as Option in the settings (Vivaldi permits even to quit the API for the Chrome Store in the settings page, if you don't want extension from there). The difference in Chrome itself, EDGE, Opera and others, is that they all use a lot of own tracking APIs above the default from Chromium.
Sure it's FOSS, but who's actually working on the codebase? That's right, google employees. Good luck submitting patch if your patch runs counter to google's interests.
Not a problem, in Vivaldi there a lot of patches against Google interests. Even Google can do nothing if the devs of other companies eliminate the tracking APIs from Chromium, precisely because it's FOSS an even Google can't revert it and can't do nothing against modified forks. There are several intends in the past, with idle tracking, FloC, and some others, also cutting of Google sync for others than Chrome, discriminative Browsersniffing in some websites to block Vivaldi and others. Nothing of this worked. Vivaldi is a small european cooperative with few devs, but which are among the bests out there. Now on top of that they have managed to introduce Vivaldi into the world of Browsers and its use in Mercedes, Renault and VAG, that has not even been achieved by Google and with this also eliminated the possibility of acting against Vivaldi, without messing with these Companies. This is showing a really big middle finger.
Yeah? Manifest V3 wants to have a word with you and your completely independent de-googled Browser. Some might be able to put in the work to delay the rollout but at one point anything not supporting V3 will just break compability, completely unintentional obviously.
It's FOSS but the 'look but don't touch' kind of FOSS.